


Shakshuka

by evakayaki



Series: Gapfillers [1]
Category: Druck | SKAM (Germany)
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Bullying, Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gap Filler, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Sexual Harassment, Siblings, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-06-02 10:28:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19439596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evakayaki/pseuds/evakayaki
Summary: Laura had never been a light sleeper. Growing up she was teased that she could sleep through the apocalypse, but that all changed when her brother turned up at her door on that Friday night in early March. He had nothing but his backpack and she could see that his cheeks were tear stained.-------David and Laura’s backstory. This story starts out pre-s3 Druck and goes into canon, up until 3x10.





	Shakshuka

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place pre-canon and moves into canon for David and Laura and explains how David came to live with Laura. See end notes for warnings and trigger warnings. Just wanted to clear up that there is NO actual non-con or rape that happens in this story.

Laura had never been a light sleeper. Growing up she was teased that she could sleep through the apocalypse, but that all changed when her brother turned up at her door on that Friday night in early March. He had nothing but his backpack and she could see that his cheeks were tear stained.

She spent the better part of an hour just trying to get any information from him, only able to coax out that it had gotten really bad at school and he was petrified to go back. She hugged him, ordered a pizza and set him up in her spare bedroom with a stack of blankets and pillows, apologizing she didn’t have a mattress in there. 

When she had called their parents to let them know that David was safe and what they wanted her to do with him, their mother had tensely replied that it was probably best that he stay there for a while. Their father transferred some money to her, promising to do it every month until the next decision was made. 

It wasn’t until the next day that David was able to tell her everything. He had knocked quietly three times before opening her door and silently crawling into bed next to her, much like he did when he was much younger. It never bothered her, in fact when she first started living on her own she would occasionally wake up a little sad not seeing his mop of hair on the pillow next to hers. It took six months for her to get used to it. 

He had stared up at the ceiling as he laid next to her, reliving the whole first half of the school year. How the teachers would call him his birth name, even though they had been told by the school administration to refer to him as David. He had cried, not sobbing, but silently as he recalled the other students finding glee in calling him _a girl_ and taunting him about using the handicap bathroom, the clothes he wore, the sound of his voice. The worst part was when a few of the boys cornered him, acting as if they were going to pull down his pants or cut off his shirt. One boy even wielded a pair of scissors. 

That had been the breaking point for David. When he tried to tell the school, they weren’t willing to do much. The head teacher had only shrugged, saying they gave him a key to the bathroom and “allowed” him to dress the way he wanted. It was demeaning and when he told their parents, they seemed to almost agree with the school’s position. 

So, David had shoved as many clothes as he could in his backpack, picked up his sketchbook, wrapped his headphones around his neck and walked out of his childhood home to the nearest bus station. He took the bus to the train station and got the first train to Berlin he could and that’s how he ended up at Laura’s.

For her part, Laura had enrolled him in school that Monday and while he was in class, drove to their parent’s house to get the rest of his stuff. She almost exploded at their mother when she saw David’s things had already been packed into boxes and were waiting for her. Their father told her if David got to be too much, kick him out. Laura remained as calm as she could, despite wanting to tell her own parent’s to go fuck themselves. She didn’t want to make them angry because she needed the money they were giving her. There was no way that she could support herself and David on her income alone. She was barely making due as it was. So, instead, she told them David was a good kid and none of this was his fault. It might not have been what she wanted to say, but she had said something. 

Things were okay after that. David seemed to have adjusted okay to school. She was mildly surprised when he had come home with an invite to a party at a _Matteo’s_ place. He claimed he just wanted to make a few friends to help get through the next couple of months, but she saw something flash in his eyes when he said the boy’s name. And that’s why she agreed to go with him to the party. She wanted to keep an eye on him, make sure that he didn’t end up in another bad situation.

They went to the party and when it got to be too late for her, Laura had asked David if he wanted to go home with her. He declined saying he wanted to help clean up the mess, but she knew he wanted to stay for _him_. Laura wasn’t one to butt into her brother’s personal life, but after having her heartbroken at the sight of her kid brother disheveled and desperate at her door, she felt the need to help protect his heart - if only just a little. So, she had nodded and told him not to stay out too late. 

When David finally did come home, she woke up to the muffled sound of a key turning in the lock and a few creaking floorboards as she heard David go into his room. She counted, four steps until he was tucked inside his room. 

After that, David seemed to bring up Matteo’s name more and more in conversations and that Leonie girl, which Laura didn’t even think much of, less and less. It had culminated into a confession one morning when Laura had woken up and realized David hadn’t come home all night. 

She was just reaching for her cell phone when she heard the familiar key turn and the creaking floor boards. But instead of the four familiar steps, she heard his footfalls coming towards her room and the creak of her bedroom door opening. David had peaked his head in and when he realized she was awake, sat down next to her. He told her about what had happened the previous afternoon and evening, telling her how Matteo made him feel. How they had kissed at the pool, talked all night. How Matteo had held him. How he held Matteo. _I think I’m falling for him, Laura,_ he admitted. She nodded, knowing Matteo didn’t know about her brother, but praying that when David did tell the boy his truth, he wouldn’t abandon David.

Laura had encouraged David to be honest with Matteo when the boys went on their “date” or “hanging out,” as David had called it, later that afternoon.

_”How do I explain this to him? How do I tell him I was born in the body of a girl?” He sighed._

_“You tell him you’re a boy,” she stated._

_“But what if he doesn’t understand? Laura, I know it’s only been a few weeks we’ve known each other, but...I don’t want this to ruin everything.”_

_“David, you are a boy. You just...you just have to try a little harder,” she nodded._

But David didn’t tell Matteo that afternoon. Instead Laura heard him crying in his bedroom. When she opened the door, he had explained what he had done. The text he sent to Matteo about needing time. 

It didn’t surprise her when she finally met Matteo on her doorstep an hour later. He seemed like a nice guy who was just trying to reach out to her brother. She so badly wanted to let him in, march him into David’s room and make David talk to this poor kid who didn’t understand why this relationship was derailing. But instead, she let her frustration motivate her to be as cold to Matteo as possible, even closing the door in his face. 

Not long after Matteo’s visit, David came out of his room, wiping his face and notifying her that he’d ended things with the boy. Laura felt her heart sink and some anger start to brew in the pit of her stomach at the world and people and their stupid prejudices. What surprised her was the small kernel of anger she felt towards David for not giving Matteo a chance to understand. She knew it wasn’t fair after everything David had been through. 

A couple weeks later on a Friday night, Laura was just drifting off to sleep, it had been a long day with her working overtime, when she woke up to David’s frenzied footsteps and the door slamming behind him. She didn’t wake up again until the next morning when, once again, David’s shuffling and the door closing pulled her from her sleep. A few seconds later there was the familiar three knocks on her door followed by it creaking open. When she finally set eyes on her brother, he looked devastated. She asked him what was wrong and he choked out that he had told Matteo everything and he was convinced he had lost him. "I love him, Laura," David had whispered. He walked around in a slump for the rest of the afternoon.

The mood seemed to change a few days later, and Laura was grateful to see a bit of her brother’s old self return. “He’s picking me up after my PE exam tomorrow!” David had exclaimed to her over dinner that night. She had suggested bringing Matteo over for dinner and watched as he smiled shyly at the thought. It had been a while since she had seen him that excited over anything. 

_”It’s good to see you so happy, kleiner Käfer,” she smiled._

_David groaned, “Don’t call me that.”_

_“I think I’ll say it even more when_ he’s _here,” Laura had laughed at his expression. It looked like he had just eaten something sour._

 _“I don’t even know what_ this _is. This thing that we’re doing,” Laura watched him poke at his plate._

_“Well, whatever it is, I’m happy for you,” she genuinely was. Her brother deserved something good in his life._

_“I’m happy for me too,” David quietly admitted._

It seemed like everything exploded after that. It happened on her first Friday off in months. She had been looking forward to sleeping in late, finally finishing that book that sat on her nightstand for the last _however_ long, cleaning up the flat, and cooking something decent for herself, David, and possibly Matteo. If someone didn’t know any better they might have thought _she_ was the one with the _whatever this is_ boy coming over. 

She hummed to herself as she put away the dishes she had washed earlier, loosing herself in the book she held in her other hand. _God_ she should have read this book sooner. It was such a love story, and she had to check to make sure the few tears that she had shed didn’t end up on the pages.

However, when the door had banged open an hour before David was due home, she had frowned and put the book down. She had met David at the front door, about to ask what was going on and where Matteo was, when she noticed angry tears on his face. She could still hear his hysterical _It’s over Laura, it’s over! They all know!_ shouted at her. 

David shoved his phone in her hands and she saw that a video was already queued up. When she pressed play, her stomach fell and her hand went to her mouth. She wondered how many times David had watched it. How many times the other students had watched it. How many people in Berlin had seen it. 

The phone was suddenly ripped from her hands and she looked up to see David with a packed bag slung over his shoulder. He had hastily told her he was going to Fürstenberg and when she asked when he’d be back, David just shook his head. Laura wanted to hug him, but knew that it probably wouldn’t be welcomed right then. So she did the only thing she could think of, she shoved him some euros from her purse hanging on the coat rack, told him she loved him and to call her when he could. 

Laura had watched him leave, giving him an encouraging smile when he turned back to look at her, but as soon as the door was closed she let a few tears fall. _No, this wasn’t about her. It was about David and David’s happiness._ She violently wiped the tears from her face. 

Taking out her phone, she called their parents to forewarn them, maybe, she didn’t really know why. Their father grumbled something about parading it in other people’s faces while their mother simply asked Laura if she had a boyfriend yet. She threw her phone against the wall watching it shatter. She’d need to get a new one.

She never did end up making dinner that night, shakshuka. A recipe from their grandmother and David’s favorite. The eggs sat un-cracked and the tomatoes unsliced in the fridge, and tomato sauce un-poured in the pantry. She had opted to grab some takeout instead and sat in her bed eating, trying not to worry about David. It had been so good just twenty-four hours ago. She had wondered how everything could go so terribly, terribly wrong so quickly. 

The night passed slowly as she waited to hear that familiar creak of the front door and David’s four steps to his bedroom. They never came, and so she just laid in bed replaying that video in her mind. Over and over and over again. It wouldn’t stop. 

_I’m not a girl, I’m not a girl, I’m not a girl_ echoed through her ears. And that teacher, _oh that teacher_ with his smug look and his _yes you are_. She wanted to go down to that school and raise holy hell, but she couldn’t. She had learned long ago that David needed to fight his own battles, and Laura trying to protect her little brother only made him feel worse.

It felt so much like when David had first come out. He had shoved his cell phone into her hand with a page open explaining transgender and whispered, _I’m not a girl_ to her. When he told their parent’s their mother’s first reaction was a nervous laugh as she said, “Yes you are.” 

The day’s events and the memory of their parent’s grated at Laura until she couldn’t stand to be in bed anymore. Getting up, she spent all of Saturday cleaning every inch of the flat. She even tried to scrub away some of the graffiti on the door, to no avail. Dinner was more takeout and that night she didn’t fare much easier with sleep. 

When that Sunday rolled around and she still hadn’t heard from David, her instinct was to call him, but he needed time. She was going to give him that time. So, Laura did all she could think to do, and that was sit at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, that had long gone cold, and just stare at the front door. She willed it to open, to hear those four footsteps shuffle into the room. This was the worst part. Waiting for David to come back. 

At least their father had remembered to send her money this month. She’d wait until tomorrow to pay the rent. 

The buzzing of her intercom scared her and she rushed to let whoever it was in. She hoped it was David and that he’d forgotten his key. She pulled the front door open a crack. Taking her seat back at the table, she waited. As soon as she heard the footsteps, she knew it wasn’t her brother, but to her surprise, the boy he loved was suddenly standing in front of her. In the midst of all the worrying and the sleepless nights she had slightly forgotten about this boy, Matteo. 

Laura could see why David had fallen for Matteo. He looked like a guy she’d have stayed away from in school, a stoner, someone who didn’t care much. But he was so much more than that. He was soft spoken and quiet, but Laura could see that David wasn’t the only one in their _whatever this is_ who carried scars and baggage. She could also see in Matteo’s eyes that he loved her brother, even if Matteo didn’t yet know it himself. 

It broke her to tell him not to call her brother and to give him time, but David had too many choices taken away from him and she wasn’t going to let another one be taken away, even by the boy he loved and who clearly loved him in return.

Six days later had Laura at her wits end. All week she had gone to work, picked up takeout for dinner, came home, checked David’s bedroom in case he was there, ate and went to bed. She had gotten one text saying he was okay and that was three days ago. He needed to come home, he had his abi’s and the school had already called about his absences. Luckily they agreed that under the circumstances he could come in and have a meeting with the head teacher and Mr. Neuhaus about a re-exam. 

Laura knew that if he wasn’t home the next day she’d need to call his godmother and ask her to send him back to Berlin. She hated the thoughts of doing that, but this was important. David had told her many times how much he wanted to go to university and she knew he was slowly loosing his chance of making that happen. 

At around nine on that Saturday night, Laura was just dozing, her mobile phone gripped loosely in her fingers in case David tried to get ahold of her, when she heard the familiar key in the lock. She held her breath and heard the footsteps she had come to know. But there was another pair of footsteps beside David’s. She could hear a “psst” through her door and what sounded like hushed kissing. Laura smiled to herself as she heard Matteo whisper, “psst your sister,” in a mocking voice. 

Rolling over, she closed her eyes, hearing the four steps into David’s room, followed by the quiet shutting of his door. Laura knew she should probably be more concerned than she was that her little brother was in his room, alone, at night with another boy. That she should be concerned about why David was with Matteo when he had told her he was with his godmother. But at that moment David’s happiness outweighed anything else.

As she closed her eyes and let sleep wash over her, she wondered if Matteo liked shakshuka and made a mental note to buy some fresh tomatoes and eggs in the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> This story does contain transphobia, slurs, and a scene where David experiences sexual harassment in the form of bullying (nothing happens). David does get called "a girl."
> 
> Translation:
> 
> kleiner Käfer - little Beetle
> 
> Also, I made a Skam/Druck video for PRIDE, focusing on the "Isak" character of Norway, France and Germany: https://youtu.be/-SU-oTkChxU


End file.
